Cuboidal structure

ABSTRACT

A cuboidal structure is formed from six face plates each being squares having two pairs of opposite sides, one side of each pair containing a central recess and the other side lacking edge material to leave a central projection, the projections being the same height as the depth of the recesses, and the projections and recesses being substantially the same length. Six identical face plates are provided with the corner of each face plate between adjacent sides containing recesses having a square notch therein with sides equal to the depth of the recesses. A cuboidal structure formed by six identical face plates of the same thickness as the depth of the recesses has eight corner notches. If a cuboidal structure is formed from six identical face plates that are thinner than the depth of the recesses, each edge of the cuboidal structure will have a projection and edges adjacent to a recess extend past faces of the cuboidal structure. A perfect cube structure will result if four face plates are formed without corner notches and two more face plates are formed without corner notches and with each of the two face plates having one additional square extension from a corner between adjacent sides containing a recess and a projection, all six face plates having the same thickness as the depth of a recess.

Elnited States Patent [191 Tsurumi Dec. 9, 1975 1 CUBOIDAL STRUCTURE [76] Inventor: Sukeo Tsurumi, PO. Box 669-11,

Siyoze, Nisinomiya, l-Iiyogo, Japan [22] Filed: Mar. 22, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 454,022

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 200,081, Nov. 18,

1971, Pat. NO. 3,813,841,

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 25, 1971 Japan 46-45692 June 25, 1971 Japan 46-45693 [52] US. Cl. 52/593; 40/107; 46/25; 52/DIG. 10 [51] Int. Cl. E04C 1/10; A63l-l 33/08 [58] Field of Search 52/590, 593, DIG. 10; 40/107; 46/25, 15, 16, 26, 273/DIG. 4, DIG. 5, 157 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,670,436 6/1972 Weissman 40/107 3,692,201 9/1972 Garduna 52/590 3,701,214 10/1972 Sakamoto 46/25 Primary ExaminerJ. Karl Bell Attorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam Anthony Drucker [57] ABSTRACT A cuboidal structure is formed from six face plates each being squares having two pairs of opposite sides, one side of each pair containing a central recess and the other side lacking edge material to leave a central projection, the projections being the same height as the depth of the recesses, and the projections and recesses being substantially the same length. Six identical face plates are provided with the corner of each face plate between adjacent sides containing recesses having a square notch therein with sides equal to the depth of the recesses. A cuboidal structure formed by six identical face plates of the same thickness as the depth of the recesses has eight comer notches. If a cuboidal structure is formed from six identical face plates that are thinner than the depth of the recesses,

' each edge of the cuboidal structure will have a projection and edges adjacent to a recess extend past faces of the cuboidal structure. A perfect cube structure will result if four face plates are formed without corner notches and two more face plates are formed without corner notches and with each of the two face plates having one additional square extension from a corner between adjacent sides containing a recess and a projection, all six face plates having the same thickness as the depth of a recess.

2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures IOA US. Patent Dec. 9 1975 MAR.

IOA

FIG. 7A

CUBOIDAL STRUCTURE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of my presently pending patent application Ser. No. 200,081 filed Nov. 18, 1971 now US Pat. No. 3,813,841.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a perfect cube structure assembled from six face plates, four of one configuration and two of another, according to my invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of four face plates used in the assembly of the cube structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one of two face plates used in the assembly of the cube structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspectiveview of a cuboidal structure assembled from six identical face plates;

FIG. 5 is an edge view of a face plate taken on line 5-5 of FIG, 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of one of six identical face plates used to assemble the cuboidal structure of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an edge view of a face plate taken on line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7A is an edge view of a modified face plate taken on line 77 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the six face plates used to assemble the cube structure of FIG. 1, the six face plates being shown assembled together on a flat surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a face plate 10 has a first pair of opposite sides 11 and 12 and a second pair of opposite sides 13 and 14. Sides 11 and 13 each contain a central recess and 16. Sides 12 and 14 are formed without material at their ends to leave the projections 17 and 18. The projections 17 and 18 and the recesses 15 and 16 are centrally located in relation to the-square outer boundaries of the face plates 10 so that there is no top or bottom surface of a face plate 10. A square notch is formed in the corner of each face plate 10 between adjacent sides 11 and 13 containing the recesses l5 and 16. Notch is the same depth as the recesses 15 and 16. The recesses 15 and 16 and the projections 17 and 18 are of substantially the same length.

Six plates 10 may be formed into a cuboidal structure to enclose a perfect cubic volume. Since the thickness of the plates 10 is less than the depth of the recesses 15 and 16 or less than the height of the projections 17 and 18, each edge of an assembled cuboidal structure (not shown) will have a projection and edges adjacent to a recess extend beyond the outer faces of the structure so formed. Cuboidal structures formed from plates 10 may be assembled as building blocks with a projection extending beyond a face of one structure extending into a recess of an adjacent structure.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7A, six identical face plates 10 of the same thickness as the depth of the recesses 15 and 16 or the height of the projections 17 and 18 may be assembled into cuboidal structure 22 which has the eight corner notches 23. At each edge of the cuboidal structure 22, a projection 17 or 18 dovetails into a recess 15 or 16. Structure22 may have face plates 10' formed of concrete slabs to be assembled into cuboidal building blocks 22. If six face plates 10' have calendar months printed on their 12 surfaces 24 and 25, they may be assembled into a calendar cube which can have its face plates reversed after 6 months to display the other 6 months. Structures 22 may be made of wood to be used as shipping containers. These are but a few examples of uses of this invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5, a perfect cube structure 30 is assembled from four face plates 10A and two face plates 108. Face plates 10A have sides containing central recesses 15' and 16' and have projections 17 and 18'. Face plates 1013 have sides containing central recesses 15" and 16 and have projections 17" and 18". The projections and recesses of the face places 10A and 10B are substantially identical to those of face plates 10' as they are the same thickness as the depth of the recesses or the height of the projections. The corners 31 and 31 between adjacent recesses 15' and 16 and 15" and 16" do not contain any notches. The two face plates 10B additionally each have a single square extension 32 and 32" forming a corner of each face plate 1018 between a recess and a projection. The square extension 32" has sides equal to the depth of recesses 15" and 16" of the height of projections 17" and 18".

The four face plates 10A are assembled as sides of cube structure 30 with two adjacent plates 10A being inverted in relation to the other two. The face plates 103 then form the top and the bottom of the cube structure 30. As shown in FIG. 8, the face plates 10A and 108 can be assembled as shown on a flat surface to have the calendar markings 35, 36, 37 and 38 formed on them or they can have dice markings 39 and 40 formed on them. The cube structure 30 has many uses as a packing container, a building block, a calendar cube, a novelty container for transparent plastic, or a die, for example.

While this invention has been shown and described in the best forms known, it will nevertheless be understood that this is purely exemplary and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cube structure comprising, in combination, six square face plates each having two pairs of opposite sides, one side of each pair containing a central recess and the other side having a central projection, said projection and said recess being substantially the same length, and the depth of said recesses being the same as the height of said projections, said face plates being the same thickness as the depth of said recesses and the height of said projections, and two of said square face plates each having a square extension forming a corner between two of said sides of each of said two face plates, one of said two sides containing a recess and the other having a projection, said square extensions having sides equal to the depth of said recesses and the height of said projections, said face plates being assembled into a perfect cube structure having edges with each edge having a projection of one face plate fitted into the recess of another face plate.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said face plates have calendar markings formed thereon, said cuboidal structure being a calendar cube assembled to show selectively six of said calendar markings. 

1. A cube structure comprising, in combination, six square face plates each having two pairs of opposite sides, one side of each pair containing a central recess and the other side having a central projection, said projection and said recess being substantially the same length, and the depth of said recesses being the same as the height of said projections, said face plates being the same thickness as the depth of said recesses and the height of said projections, and two of said square face plates each having a square extension forming a corner between two of said sides of each of said two face plates, one of said two sides containing a recess and the other having a projection, said sqUare extensions having sides equal to the depth of said recesses and the height of said projections, said face plates being assembled into a perfect cube structure having edges with each edge having a projection of one face plate fitted into the recess of another face plate.
 2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said face plates have calendar markings formed thereon, said cuboidal structure being a calendar cube assembled to show selectively six of said calendar markings. 